Uber's gets unexpected boost in court battle over London licence ban

Uber’s appeal to renew its licence in the city of London started on Monday and got an unexpected boost from Transport for London, the regulator that had banned the firm from operating in the first place.

In September of 2017, Transport for London said the US firm wasn’t "fit and proper" to operate in the UK capital and refused to grant a permit on the grounds of public safety and security.

Now, Transport for London’s position has "moved to one of effective neutrality" said Uber’s lawyer on Monday, at the start of the hearing. Uber also admitted that, at the time, TfL’s decision had been the right one.

According to Bloomberg, on Monday TfL said that "the list of issues with Uber remains relevant but they are no longer live matters of concert to TfL. They have either been addressed by changes introduced by Uber or they relate to a historic course of conduct that has now been abandoned."

The company has made various changes to its UK operations since losing its licence, including naming three non-executive directors to the board and forming new driver advisory groups.

Uber floated a proposal for it to be granted an 18-month licence instead of a five-year one as it implements changes.